AMC's latest zombie apocalypse series, "Fear the Walking Dead," has dipped its toes in the water. It might as well have taken the plunge and swam across waters with the massive viewership it raked in its pilot episode, despite mixed reviews from critics.

AMC released the first three minutes of "Fear the Walking Dead," days before the premiere. The clip showed exactly what fans can expect in the full 90-minute initial episode. It was a bit slow, it still very much had the "hold your breath" feeling. Though there will be zombies, viewers will have to be a little patient before seeing them.

The pilot episode of the new AMC series really set the tone for the next few episodes in the show's timeline. But before diving into the breakout, the show will take some time establishing the characters whom viewers will be interacting with in the next few weeks. Most reviews, however, agreed that once the apocalypse dawns, there is but little time to actually love and care for the characters whom the show has decided to carefully establish.

But not all reviews were bad. Den of Geek spent ample time praising the pilot for just about anything — from Frank Dillane's frantic and delusional portrayal of Nick Clark down to its lighting. The site even bravely noted that "Fear's" cinematography might even be better than that of "The Walking Dead's."

Amidst the various reviews, fans of the TWD franchise sat down in front of the tube and watched the 90-minute premiere. Entertainment Weekly reported that on Sunday night, the show raked in 10.1 million viewers. In the 18-49 adult range, it also rated 6.3. The numbers officially made "Fear" the biggest cable TV premiere in both key demographics and total viewership.

AMC President, Charlie Collier, said of the pilot episode's success, "Thank you and congratulations to Robert Kirkman, Dave Erickson, the brilliant executive producers and the entire cast and crew of 'Fear the Walking Dead.' It is increasingly difficult to evaluate a show's success on night one. However, we are releasing these live/same day ratings because 'Fear the Walking Dead' delivered record-breaking numbers that are all the more special in this era of time-shifted viewing and audience fragmentation. To have a companion series to the #1 show on television driving communal, urgent viewing, social activity and pop cultural relevance of this magnitude is truly differentiating. Of course none of it is possible without the fans, whose passion leads to these remarkable results."

"Fear the Walking Dead" returns next Sunday, Aug. 30.